Lenovo ThinkPad 14" 21F6001HUS 2023, Core i7-1365U, 16GB, 512GB SSD, Deep Black

The ThinkPad T14s Gen 4 is a featherweight business laptop with a fantastic keyboard and solid reliability, but mid-range specs and weak graphics hold it back. The compact score is the standout at 87th percentile, while the GPU sits near the bottom. Worth it if portability and typing comfort matter more than raw power.

The i7-1365U is a 10-core chip that sits right around the middle of the pack in our database. It'll chew through Office apps, browser tabs, and video conferencing without breaking a sweat. The 16GB of RAM is soldered, so what you buy is what you get forever, and it lands in the lower third of our rankings for memory. The 512GB SSD is similarly average. The integrated Iris Xe graphics are the weak link here, sitting near the bottom of our GPU rankings. Fine for streaming video and light photo work, but don't expect to edit 4K footage or play anything beyond casual games. The screen is a 1920x1200 panel that's solidly middle of the road, good enough for documents and movies but nothing that'll make your eyes pop.

Stacked against the competition, the T14s occupies a weird middle ground. The Apple MacBook Pro M4 Max absolutely destroys it in performance, but that's a different class of machine entirely. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 7th Edition is a more direct rival, offering similar portability with better screen quality and a more modern design. The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 and HP OMEN Transcend are gaming machines that trade portability for GPU power, and they're not really in the same conversation. The MSI Raider is even further afield. For pure business use, the ThinkPad holds its own on reliability and keyboard feel, but the Surface Laptop is the more compelling all-rounder if you don't need the ThinkPad's specific durability chops.

At around CAD 2,047 or MXN 60,150, this is a premium price for a laptop with mid-range specs. You're paying for the ThinkPad name, the build quality, and the business-grade reliability, not for raw performance. The compact score is strong, and reliability ranks well above average, which matters if this is your daily workhorse. But when you look at what that money gets you in terms of CPU, GPU, and storage, it's a tough sell unless portability and durability are your top priorities.

The ThinkPad T14s Gen 4 is Lenovo doing what Lenovo does best: a thin, light, no-nonsense business machine. At 1.25kg with a 14-inch 1920x1200 display, it's built for people who live in spreadsheets, email, and video calls, not for anyone chasing frame rates. The i7-1365U with 16GB of RAM handles multitasking fine, and the 512GB SSD is enough for work files without forcing you into the cloud for everything.

But let's be real about what this is. The integrated Iris Xe graphics put gaming firmly in the "don't bother" category, and the port selection is thin. One HDMI port is the headline connectivity feature, which feels stingy for a business laptop in this price range. You're paying for build quality, the keyboard, and the ThinkPad reputation.

Skip this if you need any kind of graphical horsepower. The integrated graphics are near the bottom of our rankings, so video editors, 3D modelers, and even casual gamers should look elsewhere. Also skip it if you need lots of ports, since one HDMI port is all you get for external displays. And if you want to upgrade your RAM or storage later, the soldered memory makes this a dead end.

This is a laptop for road warriors and office workers who need something light, reliable, and comfortable to type on for eight hours a day. If you're a consultant, a writer, or anyone who lives in a browser and email, the T14s Gen 4 will serve you well. The keyboard alone is worth the price of admission for heavy typists. Just don't expect it to do anything graphically demanding, and budget for a USB-C hub if you need more than one external display.